


The Ignis Collection

by ffxvhoe (Nyx0206)



Category: FFXV - Fandom, Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-20
Updated: 2019-03-20
Packaged: 2019-11-26 14:27:25
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 8,381
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18181796
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nyx0206/pseuds/ffxvhoe
Summary: all of my imagines/scenarios from my blog ffxvhoe





	1. Chapter 1

_My Dearest y/n,_

_I do hope that this letter finds you in good health.  Gladiolus told me just the other day that you were getting married within the coming month and that he would be attending.  Other other lads seem keen on attending your special day as well.  Noct made it quite clear that I should make sure nothing was scheduled for the day.  I do so congratulate you on the good news.  I did indeed receive the invitation that you sent me, and I truly am sorry that I had to decline.  Some things are just a tad too difficult still, it seems.  My troubles have nothing to do with you so please do not lose sleep over my troubles._

_Actually that is not true.  You do very much have to do with the troubling thoughts that plague me day and night.  Upon receiving your invitation and hearing about your upcoming wedding I have been thinking about the many missed opportunities that I let pass me by while we were all traveling together._

_You had done so much to ease my mind during our journey, and there were many times where you put my cooking to near shame.  I do not say that lightly as I am sure you know.  Ah how that had been truly a fantastic night, the night that we had our cooking competition.  It surely eased the tension that had been growing amongst the group of us as the journey wore on longer.  You also did an absolutely splendid job at easing my nerves whenever I became somewhat unhinged after particularly taxing quests of ours.  I am quite certain the lads were as thankful as I was at your overflowing calm many times.  I truly should have said how thankful I was for your presence more often, and though it may be a little late…thank you._

_Some of the thoughts that plague me at night have to do with the feelings that I tried to bury so far inside myself.  I certainly seemed to have succeeded, yes?  You were none the wiser about how often I dreamed of coming back from that tiresome journey and find a nice apartment to share with one another.  You certainly never caught onto how often I dreamed about starting a family and that you were the face to constantly make guest appearances in those pipe dreams._

_At least I do hope you had not caught on for the idea that you knew and said nothing pains me a great deal._

_The thing that I am most upset by, however, is the fact that I could never put my duty aside.  You had mentioned it once, in passing, that at some point I would come to find that I could not continue to revolve my life around Noct and the job that was entrusted to me at birth.  Though I let the comment roll over my shoulders, it seems the memory never quite left the corners of my mind.  I understand what it was you meant now.  And it is because I understand that I shall – likely the rest of my life – curse myself for never telling you the one thing that my subconscious constantly whispered in my ear: I think I love you._

_I realize that it is too late to do much about this debacle as you, as I stated earlier, are on your way to starting a new chapter of your life with another.  Nevertheless, I felt I owed an explanation for why I have tried my utter best to remove myself from your life and cannot attend your wedding.  I am sure you will look magnificent on your special day, and I wish you and the love of your life all the best._

_The Highest Regards,_

_Ignis Scientia_


	2. pride and prejudice au

The rain poured from the heavens like a sheet.  You could scarcely see what was in front of you, though you had been around this way before so many times previously.  You were aiming for the stone house that was just up ahead, though at this point you were so thoroughly soaked you were sure your ancestors could feel it.  Nevertheless, while walking through the rain helped to cool your burning skin you wanted to stop being assaulted by the raindrops that seemed never ending.  How could he?  You would have spat the words had someone been around to listen to the reason behind your fury.  There were these moments, with Mr. Scientia where you thought perhaps he was not as terrible as you first thought, but then things like this would come up and you’d laugh at yourself for thinking any differently.  Mr. Scientia had sent away the one man your sister truly loved.  A man that was perfect for her in mind, body, and soul.  And he sent him away.  You dear sister hadn’t left the room in days after the letter came that Mr. Argentum, a man you were quite certain was the sun incarnate, had left to go back to his home city.  You shook your head again.  How could he?

You had finally made it to the house, your back resting against one of the many stone pillars.  Whoever lived here seemed not to be home, thankfully, as you were quite certain they would not have taken too kindly to a stranger loitering about their place of residence.  You attempted to calm your breathing.  Be rational, ___, get a hold of yourself.  It seemed the Astrals had different ideas for you on this day, however, as a figure came walking through the pouring rain.  A figure that belonged to none other than Mr. Ignis Scientia.  Why did the Gods laugh at you so?  Was it not enough to have you a complete mess of anguish?  Was it not enough to have your sister suffer the pain of a broken heart?  Whatever this man had to say to you, you did not care.  You would hear none of it.  A man such as he was not worth your time.

As he grows closer you can see that he is soaked to the bone, just as you are.  His typically well put together image has been shattered utterly.  His hair is stuck to his face, rivulets of water streaming from the ends down his cheeks.  His glasses as spotted with water, so much so that he takes them from his face and a part of you is left to wonder if he truly even needs them at all.  His coat is positively ruined; no maid or tailor, no matter how experienced could fix the mess the rain had made of it.  The way he is looking at you though is what makes him look truly different from the confident, haughty man you’d come to know, no matter how unwillingly.  

“Miss ___,” he started, and though you had said you would not offer a second of your time to listen to this man, you found yourself glued in place, desiring to hear what has left this man so tormented.  "I have struggled in vain, but I can simply bear it no longer.  These past months have been near torture for me.“  A part of you feels as though his words are don’t connect logically, but then again Ignis looks positively wrecked.  "I came here with the single thought of seeing you…I had to see you….”  He sounds breathless as he utters these words – words barely loud enough to hear over the pouring rain.

“Me?”

“I’ve fought against my better judgement, my family’s expectations, the inferiority of your birth, my rank and circumstance.”  He goes on listing things, nearly stumbling over his words several times as he tries to push whatever it is he truly wants to say out.  "I have fought all of these things, but I am ready to finally put them aside.“  He pauses, eyes holding your gaze intently, and you swear you can see a storm raging inside of him just as the one around you does.  "I ask you to end my suffering.”

“I don’t understand-”

“ _I love you_ ,” Ignis finally blurts.  "Most ardently.  You stare at him, completely at a loss for words, as this man so often leaves you these days.  You wanted nothing more than to have a witty line to throw back in his face, but you couldn’t bring yourself to do so; not when he was looking at you like that.  "Please do me the honor of accepting my hand.“  

And those are the words that truly bring your word to a grinding halt.  Those are the words that finally send your bubbling anger spilling over.

"Sir,” you begin, doing your absolute best to keep your voice from shaking.  "I appreciate the struggle you have been through, and I am very sorry to have caused you any pain.“  Though a part of you wished you had consciously done it if only to make him suffer for what he had done to your sister.  "Believe me when I say it was unconsciously done.”

“Are you laughing at me?” Ignis’s eyebrows narrowed, trying to make sense of what you were saying.  "Are you  _rejecting_  me?“  

"I am sure all of the circumstances that have hindered your regard will help you in overcoming it.”  There’s a terrible silence that sinks into the space between the two of you as your words are fully processed by the man before you.  

“Might I ask why, with so little endeavor at civility, I seem to repulse you?”

“I might as well inquire why, with so evident a design of insulting me, you chose to tell me that you liked me against your better judgement.”  Your voice rose as you spoke; after all, there was no point in burying your anger any longer.

“Believe me, I didn’t mean-”

“But either way I have other reasons and you know I have.”

“What reasons?”  And the way in which he looked truly confused by your accusation made you want nothing more than to slap him.

“Do you think that anything might tempt me to accept a man that was ruined, perhaps forever, the happiness of a most beloved sister?”  Your words seem to have granted your wish, as the look that flashes across his face does so closely resemble the expression of a man that has been struck.  "Do you deny it, Mr. Scientia, that you separated a young couple who undoubtedly loved each other? 

“I do not deny it,” Ignis replies softly.

“How could you do it?” You don’t mean to yell.

“Because I believed your sister to be indifferent.”

“Indifferent?”

“I watched them most carefully and had come to realize that his attachment ran much deeper than hers.”

“That’s because she’s shy!”

“Argentum too is modest, and was persuaded that she didn’t feel strongly for him.”

“Only because you suggested it,” you shot back.

“I did it for his own good.”

“My sister hardly shows her true feelings to me!”  You said, though the way he had spoken so firmly in that instant that you found you could not believe him to have done so for any other reason that to protect his dear friend.  That didn’t keep you from plowing on. “I suppose you suspect that his fortune had some bearing on the matter?”

“No,” Ignis replied sharply.  "I wouldn’t do your sister the dishonor.  Though it was suggested-“

"What was?”

“It was made perfectly clear that an advantageous marriage….”

“Did my sister give that impression?”

“No,” Ignis repeated.  "There was, however, I must admit the matter of your family-“

"Our want of connection?  Pardon a family for desiring to look for a marriage that would benefit them!  Mr. Argentum didn’t seem to vex himself about that!”

“No, it was more than that.”

You took a step closer to him, your face looking up at him, eyes now slits of anger.  "How so?“ You ground out.

After a moment’s hesitation – as if this man were trying to spare you in some way – he said, "It pains me to say this, but it was the lack of propriety shown by your mother, three younger sisters, and even on occasion your father.”  Ignis’s voice had risen defensively as he’d spoken, and as if suddenly realizing he said quietly, “Forgive me.”  

You found that you couldn’t bring yourself to argue against that.  He’d all but his the nail on the head with his observation.  You were taken out of your thoughts as Ignis went on.  "You and your sister – I must exclude from this.“  He’s staring at you in that unsettling way again.  You wished his emotions didn’t sit so heavily in his eyes.

"And what about Mr. Izunia?”

Ignis stared at you, perplexed.  "Mr. Izunia?

“What excuse can you give for your behavior to him?”

Ignis’s eyebrows came together as a grown took up residence on his features.  "You take an eager interest in that gentleman’s concerns.“

"He told me of his misfortunes.”

“Oh yes,” Mr. Scientia all but spat.  "His misfortunes have been very great indeed.“

"His chances have been ruined at your hands and yet you treat him with sarcasm?”

“So this is your opinion of me.”  Ignis’s voice is heated.  "Thank you for explaining so fully.  Perhaps these offences might have been overlooked if your pride had not been hurt-“

"My pride?” You interject, though he continues on as if you had not spoken.

“-by my honesty in admitting doubt about our relationship.  Could you expect me to rejoice in the inferiority of your circumstances?”  You were thrown by his change of topic back to the discussion of your family.

“And those are the words of a gentleman?  From the first moment I met you, your arrogance and conceit, your selfish  _disdain_  of the feelings of others, made me realize that you were the last man in the world I could ever be prevailed upon to marry.”  The man before you – the one that you had known to be above all jabs and taunts thrown his way – visibly recoiled at your words.  

You’d never witnessed a silence so terrible before in your life, and a part of you believes you can hear two hearts breaking at once.  The two of you are still staring at one another.  At some point the two of you had taken steps closer to one another as the emotions had raged higher.  Now though, the heat had died down, and all that was left in its place for either of you was a dull throb – a dull ache.  Ignis’s eyes studied your face, eyes flickering down to your mouth for the briefest of seconds before returning to your eyes. “Forgive me, madam,” Ignis whispers, “for taking up so much of your time.”

And then he was gone.

As you watch him walk through the rain, back towards wherever he had originally come to catch you, you can’t help but wonder what you had just done.  Nor could you fight the tears that begin to run bitterly down your face.


	3. Chapter 3

You had been in surgery for two hours at this point.  Ignis was sat in the waiting room along with the rest of the boys, although Ignis was seated several seats away from them.  After what had just happened he needed to…think through things.  What was there to think about though?  He’d made the conscious decision during that battle to protect Noctis; everything was very straight forward.

The lot of you had been on a hunt as you all both needed the money and needed a way to kill some time.  It had been a group of Coeurls that you all had been sent to take care of.  Fighting off the monsters was hard enough to begin with, but halfway through finishing the job an airship filled with MTs had come to cause even more trouble.  The fact that you had already been fighting to kill the monsters made battling the MTs even more of a taxing job.  

You and Noctis were stood next to one another, fighting off one of the Coeurls while also attempting to take out the group of MTs that had come your way.  You’d already taken out a majority of the threats, but that also meant that everyone’s stamina was starting to waver.  Ignis shut his eyes tightly as he remembered what had happened.

It was as if the Astrals had put hit a button to put the world into slow motion.  The strategist had seen what happened almost before it actually did.  You were in the middle of fighting off the MTs while Noctis took care of the monster.  What the two of you didn’t see was the second Coeurl that was lurking in the grass a couple feet away.  Ignis saw as the monster readied to pounce at you, but his attention was also caught by the MT that stood ready to attack on Noctis’s blindside.  There were two options Ignis had at that moment.  He could either save you, one of the people that meant the most to him and never failed to help him unwind after long days, or he could do his job and protect Noctis, like he had been born and bred to do.

Ignis was moving both before he realized he was and before he’d truly made up his mind.  As he ran to cut off the MT that had risen its blade to take down the Prince, Ignis supposed that his subconscious made the decision for him.  That didn’t stop Ignis from crying out as he watched the Coeurl clamp its jaws down onto the side of your stomach.  

You were knocked down, a scream ripping from your chest as the monster continued to hold you now using its paw to keep you pinned with its claws.  Everyone’s heads snapped to where you were.  You summoned your near drained strength to shoot the monster atop you, covering your body in even more blood.  Knowing that one of their own had been downed, the rest of the boys got their second wind and the fight only lasted for a few minutes more.

A few minutes was a long time when someone was bleeding out, though.  Ignis was the first to come to your side, and for the first time in a very long while he felt the urge to cry.  There was  _so_ much blood.  He had a potion in his hand before you knew it, though something like this needed to be patched up by a true doctor.  The potion would merely keep you from walking through Death’s door.  After wrapping whatever bandages they could find around your wounds, they carried you to the car before taking off for the closest city.

And now Ignis was here, wondering if you’d actually make it through both the surgery and the following night.  Ignis stood and began pacing the area in front of himself and the rest of the guys.  All whom were set on edge by the strategist’s movements.  Ignis never paced; he was never unhinged.  Noctis couldn’t help the slight guilt he could feel settling into his bones.

Finally a doctor came out to tell them all that the surgery had finished without any problems.  Your left kidney had been punctured and thus had to be removed; a handful of your ribs had been fractured and there had been a deep gash across your lower stomach that had to be stitched.  Ignis took note of all of this, already thinking of how he was going to go about taking care of you and getting you back to full health.  He’d inadvertently been the cause of this.  He was all but the main reason you’d ended up with these injuries.  

“If you’ll follow me,” a nurse said before leading everyone to your recovery room.  Ignis felt the breath get knocked out of him when he actually saw you.  Among all the wires attached to you and the IV in your arm you looked so…fragile.  And yet you smiled, albeit weakly, when you saw them enter.  Gladio, Noctis, and Prompto immediately went over to your side, but Ignis stayed rooted to where he was in the doorway.

“Ignis?” You called.  You motioned for him to come over, and after a moment’s hesitation he stiffly walked to your side. You reached a hand out to place on his, and the way you smiled up at him made him finally collapse to his knees.

“I am…so sorry.  This is my fault,” he said.  He bowed his head so his forehead was resting against your hand.  

“This isn’t your fault, Iggy,” you said.  Your voice was so hoarse.  “You were doing your job.  Noct is your first priority; I told you I understood that when we started dating.”

“Yes, but you are my love.  You are easily the best thing that has happened to me.  I should have- I should have found a way to keep you fro getting so injured.”  

You shook your head at him.  “What were you going to do, summon some clone of yourself to keep the Coeurl away from me?  You are not at fault,” you stated plainly.  “If you really need to find a way to make it up to me though, I wouldn’t mind a massage every few days,” you joked.

Ignis looked up at you, his green eyes boring into yours.  What did he do to deserve you?  What did he do to receive such a blessing from the Astrals?  “I love you,” he whispered, brushing his lips against your knuckles.  “I love you so very much.” 


	4. Chapter 4

> _Currently playing: Living Room by Heffron Drive_

When you heard the front door to your apartment unlock you were quick to get up to help Ignis bring in the groceries.  Ever since the two of you had become a couple you’d grown to enjoy cooking more than you originally had.  Perhaps it had to do with the fact that your cooking skills had improved, or perhaps it had to do with the fact the calm that exuded from Ignis while he cooked soaked into you as well.  But if you were to be completely honest it would likely have to do with the fact Ignis let loose more while he cooked.

The first time it had happened you’d been more than a little bit shocked.  You’d come home from work late that night only to find Ignis in the kitchen, mincing mushrooms, music playing softly as he sang along.  The smile that graced your features upon seeing him so completely comfortable was gentle.  When you finally made your presence known you couldn’t help but notice the small flush that came to his cheeks.  He did his best to come up with an excuse to brush the whole thing off and you allowed him to, but the joy in your eyes that Ignis had glimpsed led to the incident happening several times more.

And now it was all but a tradition for the two of you to let loose in the kitchen as you prepared dinner.  

You finished putting away the groceries that weren’t needed for tonight’s meal while Ignist began to get out the pan and cutting board.  You walked over to the small portable stereo you always left on the bar counter and hit play while Ignis disappeared into the bedroom to change into a seat of sweatpants and an old t-shirt.  

While you enjoyed how put together Ignis always appeared, there was something about seeing him like this that set your heart aflutter.  It left you with a sense of intimacy and utter happiness seeing him so comfortable, like he was finally comfortable enough around you to let himself go, knowing that you would accept him for exactly who he was.  And in all honesty it worked much the same vice versa.  These moments that you spent with him, dancing like two unashamed dorks in the privacy of your own small kitchen left you feeling as though you could truly be yourself without having to worry about any sort of judgement from Ignis.  

The two of you worked around the kitchen as if you were one; aware of each other’s movements and needs without needing to say anything.  The kitchen was filled both by the sound of the slightly out of tune singing from each of you and the sound of food cooking in the pan.  Laughter filled the air occasionally as the two of you would dance together, waiting for the food to finish cooking.  And once everything was prepared the two of you would bring everything over to the table, hearts light and smiles blinding, because much to both of your surprise you’d found someone to be wholly yourself around.


	5. Chapter 5

You had met Ignis during an art showcase.  It was nothing large scale, just a little event held at one of the galleries as a way to raise money.  At first you had been apprehensive about showcasing your work, but the week before it was to be held you finished what was easily one of your favorite works to date.  You weren’t quite sure how you’d come up with the idea, but whatever muse that had decided to gift you with this painting was truly a savior.

Call it pride or vanity, but you had ended up staring at your painting for a good portion of the night.  As you studied your work, you’d become completely oblivious to those around you.  Your eyes were too caught up on the way the painted light caught the hair of the woman within your painting; how you could have better designed the background; how you should have used red instead of brown, or green instead of yellow.  

“Is this yours?” A voice had asked from your right.  Pulling your eyes away from your piece of work, you were struck by dazzling green eyes.  Except they weren’t simply green – there were dashes of blue and speckles of gold.  It was ocean and earth meeting under the rays of the sun.   _I want to paint them_ , you thought to yourself.

“Excuse me?”  You felt your face flush as you realized you’d spoken those words aloud.  

“I-I,” you began, gaping as a fish would. “Your eyes…I want to paint them.”  You were caught within the gravity of those green eyes once again, and your voice had came out more of a breathy sigh.  

“Well, I suppose I should take that as a compliment.”  The mystery man smiled at you, and you couldn’t help but think at that moment  _yes, I definitely want to paint him_.  “I’m Ignis,” he said.  “And I do believe I’m free this Friday.”

And that was how you’d met your boyfriend.

You two had dated for two years before he had to leave to accompany the Prince on his journey.  The last painting you created before he left was reminiscent of the painting that had started this entire relationship, except now it was a man instead of a woman, hair now a pale brown instead of straw yellow.  His face was tilted towards the window, eyes closed as he felt the warmth of the sun soak into his being.  He was naked save for a gray piece of cloth draped over his lap.  

When you showed Ignis all he did for the first few moments was stare, eyes taking in every detail and committing it to memory like he did with all your paintings.  “It’s exquisite,” he murmured, those incredible eyes finally coming up to meet yours.  “When I come back, I do hope to be greeted with many more treasures,” he said. 

Except when he came back to you he could no longer behold the art that you poured your heart into as if it were an extension of your soul.  He could no longer take in the different hues of blue you used to create the sky or the sea.  He could no longer gaze upon the vast fields of green or orange skies.  He could no longer be unsettled by the way you painted his eyes – not completely green, but blue and gold as well.

You both cried, clutching one another on the floor of your shared apartment when he came back home.  You because the man you loved could no longer live the life he’d once lived, and he because he could no longer give the paintings the admiration they so deserved.  You stopped painting after that, the easel you spent so much of your time in front of previously collecting dust in your art room. 

A year passed and Ignis became associated with the world anew.  It was a different life he now lived, but not as hard as either of you believed at first.  During that time he was called back to the Citadel for long nights to help with the reconstruction efforts, and as you were left alone for long periods of time as he worked you took up a new hobby.

“Where exactly are you taking me?” Ignis asked as the two of you navigated the sidewalks of the city.  

“I told you already, it’s a secret.”

“You’re smiling,” Ignis stated.  “I can hear it in your voice.”  That was one way in which Ignis reacquainted himself with you after the incident.  For months after he arrived back home he would ask you what expression you were making at different points in conversation.  You hadn’t quite understood at the time, but it was a new way in which he could see the world without actually being able to see.  The different inflections and different stresses in your tone often corresponded with your expression, and thus Ignis learned an entirely new language.

“I am,” you replied, aforementioned smile broadening as you came to the studio. You opened the door before leading Ignis inside, back towards the corner where all finished works were displayed.  You hefted your piece onto an empty table before gently taking Ignis’s hand in your own. You guided his until it was placed on the hardened clay.

You watched as Ignis let his hands glide over the curves of the sculpture.  They began at the head, fingers following the grooves that had been created to form the texture of the hair.  They slowly drifted down, fingertips catching on the eyebrows, then down just slightly to the eyes.  He let his hands continue down to the nose, his forefinger tracing the curves.  His touch was gentle, but there was something else in it that reminded you of the way he use to devour your paintings with his eyes.  Lips, chin, jaw, throat, shoulders. His hands came to a stop as he felt the edge of the clay, nothing more laying beyond it.  

He was silent.

And then, “It’s…this is me,” he breathed.  You watched his the muscle in his jaw feathered as he attempted to keep the emotions from spilling out the corners of his eyes.  

“Well, tried to,” you replied.  You attempted to keep your voice light, but you were having the same trouble Ignis was in keeping your emotions in check.  “I’m still not all that good.”  You’d taken up sculpting while Ignis was away, but you hadn’t known that it would soon become your new medium of art.  You had planned to simply come to the studio every once in a while when your muse had flitted away, but once Ignis arrived home you’d silently claimed sculpting to be your new home.  

His voice broke as he said, “It’s stunning.”  He held an arm out to where you were standing, and you were by his side in a few short steps.  Once his hand met your shoulder he enveloped you in a hug, his face burying into the crook of your neck.  “I do not know what I have done to be so favored by the Astrals,” he said. “I do not know what I have done to have you in my life, but I would go through all of this many times over if it meant I could keep you by my side.”  His voice shook as whispered against your neck.  “Thank you.”


	6. Chapter 6

It wasn’t a typical occurrence to have Ignis call you in the dead of night, voice shaking as he attempted to control his breathing.  It wan’t typical for him to sound so utterly lost either.  The way his voice sounded over the phone when he called you was stuck in your head, the words playing over and over again.  “Would you come over, please?”  That accent of his didn’t hold the usual composure, nor did it sound like he could bring himself to say anything more.

You’d thrown on a pair of shoes and rushed out of your room until you found Ignis’s.  The two of you had been going from Hunter outpost to Hunter outpost looking for jobs that would both help you to make ends meet and keep your minds from wandering down a too dark path.  You and Ignis were not dating, and you were fairly certain never would be anything like romantic partners.  The two of you needed each other for support and that was all.  Anything as whimsical as love was something more to be laughed at now that the world was plagued by an endless night and daemons galore.  

You’d finally reached Ignis’s room and let yourself in, foregoing the knock.  You made sure you were composed as you did so, however, not wanting to startle Ignis while he was already in such a fragile state.  You announced yourself, eyes honing in on his figure seated on the bed. Something about the way he held himself left him looking smaller than usual.

“Do you want to talk?” You asked as you situated yourself next to him on the already too small bed.  It took several minutes for Ignis to give you his reply.

“I had another nightmare about losing Noctis,” he replied.  “I couldn’t do anything to try and save him because of my damned eyesight.”  You’d listened to what he said attentively, however you couldn’t help but hone in on one of those words: another.  

“You’ve had dreams like this before.” It wasn’t a question.

“I have,” Ignis said with a dejected sigh.  “I do not usually end up so shaken by them.  I’m sorry for waking you.”

You shook your head though he couldn’t see you do so.  “Don’t apologize.  We support each other, remember?  Astrals know you’ve helped me with plenty of my nightmares before.”  You paused for a moment before saying, “You’re allowed to be weak sometimes, Ignis.”

“My weakness is what got us in this situation in the first place.”  His tone was bitter. You had to take a second to let what he’d just said register, and once it had a quiet anger began to boil in your veins.

“Don’t you fucking dare.”  You could sense Ignis’s surprise at your response by the way he stiffened. The soft yet lethal timbre of your voice likely didn’t do much to help his shock either.  “Don’t you fucking  _dare_ say that.  You know that isn’t true. If you’re the cause of all of this so am I and the rest of the inhabitants of Eos.   _Do not_  bear the weight of this when you’re in no position to do so.  You’ll destroy yourself doing that.”

Silence crept back into the room after you finished speaking.  Ignis said nothing in reply.  Instead he simply turned his unseeing gaze towards the hands that gripped the edge of the blanket.  “Do you need anything?” You asked once you realized nothing was forthcoming from the man beside you.  Your voice had become calmer once more, the anger seeping out of your body for the most part. 

Ignis remained quiet. You would have been offended if you hadn’t come to know him well enough to understand the way Ignis’s brow pinched was a sign of him thinking something over.  You waited patiently, knowing that if he didn’t need anything else he would tell you.  

It took several minutes before Ignis loosened his grip on the sheets.  His head hung before he turned it towards where he knew you to be seated.  “Stay the night,” he requested quietly.  “Please.”  

So you did, and each of you slept soundly the rest of the night.


	7. Chapter 7

While many may not believe it, being as in control and well put together as Ignis was could be extremely draining.  Being polite when all he wanted to do was tell off one of his colleagues – or even one of his friends – constantly left the Royal Adviser exhausted by the end of the day.  Yes he had been raised to be as polite as ever and had learned early on how to control his temper and tongue, but that didn’t mean that those things were  _easy_.

Ignis was currently situated beside Noctis, the two of them subject to listening to a complaint that one of the Citadel employees had.  At this point Ignis was simply listening for specific words that would let him know it was time for him to give some sort of response.   _Did this man ever shut up?_  He thought idly to himself.  Based on the impatient drumming of Noctis’s fingers on the arm of his chair, Ignis concluded quite easily that the King didn’t quite care to listen to this complaint much longer either.

“If your Majesty truly cared about helping everyone back to their feet, you would fix this problem immediately.”  Though Ignis could not actually see Noctis, he imagined that the King’s eyebrow was likely twitching slightly at the comment.  Ignis himself was doing his best to keep his mouth shut.  It wasn’t his place to mouth off to his Highness’s royal subjects, no matter how much they deserved it. 

That didn’t change the fact that Ignis truly wanted nothing more than to drag this man through the mud, though.  Ignis would not indulge in such a childish reaction.  He knew better.

“I am a relatively patient man,” Noctis said evenly.  “But be careful not to overstep boundaries.”

“Do you need your royal babysitter to give you the okay to help out those of us that work lower ranking jobs in the Citadel?  Is that the reason you refuse to give an answer?”

Ignis indulged.

“Your King is perfectly capable of making decisions on his own, and he does not have to run anything by me or anyone else, ultimately.  He has had plenty of experience dealing with the duties he has been entrusted, and he has done much more than anyone else to help rebuild Insomnia,” Ignis said.  “And I must say that it has been incredibly kind of your King to have allowed you to stay in his presence so long to hear out your complaints.  If you would truly like to hear my thoughts on the matter, however, I will give them to you.  You cannot fathom the immensity of fucks I simply do not give.  Your problem is hardly a problem at all, especially when there are so many civilians still homeless, roaming the streets in search of a place to rest for the night.  Now, if you would be so kind, I would be quite pleased if you left us for the rest of the night.  Thank you.”

The offended scoff that left the man was music to Ignis’s ears, as was the sound of hurried footsteps out of the office chamber.  Ignis’s ears were then greeted by the sound of Noctis’s soft chuckle before it turned into a full, genuine laugh.  “I forgot how unforgiving you could be,” the King said as he attempted to calm himself.

“Yes, well, it had been a rather long day….” Ignis replied in an attempt to gain some of his dignity back.  

“Do me a favor and file a report to have him fired,” Noctis said.

With a smile Ignis began to walk towards the ornate doors.  “It would be my pleasure.”


	8. Chapter 8

Anonymous said:

I hope you're still doing the writing request thingy, because I wanted to ask you for some headcannons on the chocobros having a s/o who has really bad acne scars and tries to cover them up all the time. 

 

  * Ultimately Ignis will let you do what you want
    * if you prefer to go about your day covering up the acne scars with makeup that’s 100% your choice 
    * like makeup is there to help make you more confident and if that’s what helps GO FOR IT
  * but he will make it a point to tell his s/o that he finds them beautiful even with the acne scars
    * he won’t explicetly say that though it’ll more so be he’ll tell you you’re beautiful right before going to bed when you have no makeup on that you’re one of the most stunning people he’s ever met inside and out
    * and right after waking up as well, before you’ve gone to put your makeup on for the day
    * both of these are typically accompanied by a soft, languid kiss 
      * *melts*
  * if there’s ever a day where you become particularly self-conscious about the scars he’ll do whatever he can to help ease your troubles
    * this mans is good at knowin just how to cheer up the people he’s closest to in life so man you’re about to get  _everything_
    * soft blankets, your favorite movie, you’re favorite home cooked meal, your favorite bubble bath scent
    * you name it he’s got it
  * it isn’t often that you’ll have to deal with people actually saying something about your scars, but on the very few occasions where some asshat does decide it’s their business to say something to you Ignis will  _shut them DOWN_
    * no man, woman, or child has ever survived an Ignis draggin before and it’s likely nobody ever will




	9. Chapter 9

Anonymous said:

What about an Ignis headcanon/short fic with an S/O who's really affectionate so they're comfortable with PDA and kind of mess up a lot with Ignis because they forget he's not really that into it? What does Ignis and his S/O do? Does Ignis ever get comfortable with PDA? 

 

  * so my boy ignis over here it’s not that he doesn’t like PDA he just doesn’t like  _excessive_ PDA
    * he’s totally here for pressing a small kiss to your forehead if you’ve said or done something extremely endearing
      * or just bc he’s overcome with how much he loves them
    * and he’ll def give you a kiss goodbye if he’s gotta jet bc of some sort of emergency at the citadel and the two of you are at dinner or something
  * but he doesn’t love the whole passionate kissing in public or sitting in laps in public or stuff like that
    * give this man the hand holding, the small pecks, the occasional arm around the shoulders if it’s cold outside
  * if iggy’s s/o is one to do this often, ignis will know before hand obviously as he’s much more the type to fall for someone he’s friends with 
    * when they start dating he’ll let them know that he’d rather keep the PDA to a minimum
  * iggy will be relatively understanding if his s/o slips up on the PDA thing, so long as it’s relatively obvious that they do make an effort to tone it down 
  * i think that iggy would become more comfortable with PDA if his partner slips up every now and then as it would start to become less of a surprise and more of an “oh we’re doing this again” type thing
    * he’d still prefer to keep the make outs concealed to some place private though
    * the most he’ll grow to do in public is somewhat longer kisses and possibly spinning them around if he reunites with them after a long time away from each other




	10. Chapter 10

You watched as Ignis walked over to the light switch on the wall.  With a flick of his fingers the lights clicked off, leaving the two of you to bathe in the glow of the city lights and the few candles that stood on the coffee table.  Your eyes traveled with Ignis as he then went over to the radio and pressed play.  You waited for a moment to see what song began to filter through the room.  It was a simple ballad, the notes from the piano coming to wash over both of you.  

You had closed your eyes, letting the music gather you into its embrace, so once Ignis came over to place his hands around your waist you jumped.  It was a small jump, and endearing enough to make Ignis let out a low chuckle.  You responded with a smile, wasting no more time in draping your arms over Ignis’s shoulders, hands coming to lock behind his neck.  

The two of you began swaying to the melody that drifted through the speakers, losing yourselves to this moment.  The sounds of the city drifted away.  The worries that may come from tomorrow were forgotten.  There was only the two of you, focus on nothing other than the feeling of the one another’s touch. Nothing else mattered, and everything else could wait.  You each had been through enough in your lifetimes that the world – the Astrals – owed you this one piece of time together.  

No words were spoken, the only thing louder than the music being your thoughts.  As you stood there gently swaying in Ignis’s arms you realized not for the first time you wanted nothing more than to stay by this man’s side for as long as you possibly could.  Time was a limited thing – a fleeting thing – so it was up to you to treasure every second you had with Ignis.  It was up to you to love every little thing about him until there was no time left.  From the passion he had for the things he loved to the scar that painted the side of his face.  From the way he held you to the determination he put into everything he did. You would love every piece of him – every battered, bruised, and healing piece.

Your thoughts weren’t the only ones swirling in that room.

Ignis stared unseeing at you, his mind in much the same place yours was.  He idly wondered if you remembered this song from the night of your wedding.  He wondered if you remembered dancing to it back then much like you were dancing now.  It was easy for him to remember the way your silk pajamas felt against his calloused hands.  It was easy for him to recall the way you held him as close to you as possible, as if you were afraid that night had been nothing more than a pipe dream.  “I am very much real, my love,” Ignis had reassured.  At the time his voice had been strained with the effort of holding back tears because much like you, he was worried that he would wake up to find you were simply a figment of his imagination.  

But you hadn’t been. And now here the two of you were, hair graying, as you slowly grew old together.  It was beyond anything Ignis had ever imagined happening to him in the years previous.  Even when he had met you he hadn’t entertained the idea of marriage initially.  Everything he was and had been up until that point had suggested that settling down was not what was written in his story.   Now that the two of you were here, however, he vowed to himself once more that he would love you as if every day were his last.  He would never let you forget how amazing you were; how you managed to make him lose his breath every day. He would never let you think you were unloved or that he would lose interest in you.  He would make sure you understood how much you meant to him, and how much you had saved him throughout your years together.  He would be your pillar – there to support you through the good and the bad.

The music stopped, but neither of you cared to pull away.  Instead the only move either of you chose to make was to tighten your grip on each other because this was real.  This was real and neither of you would ever let it go.


	11. Chapter 11

Anonymous said:

ooh, can I ask for the chocobros having an s/o that's completely androgynous who's kind of self conscious because theyre not in either the male or female image? I love your work sm! thank you!!! ♡♡ 

 

>  

  * i feel like depending on what point in time you end up dating ignis will somewhat dictate how he goes about the whole thing
    * ignis is much more put together/by the book etc. when he’s younger I think so while he’s def not going to be crude or anything about it, he will need some pointers and some over all guidance/teaching on just…living life as someone who doesn’t conform to being either male or female
      * that being said he’ll most definitely do his best to comfort you when you’re feeling particularly self conscious, he just won’t necessarily know what to say that’ll really help the situation if that makes sense
      * like his comforting words/actions will be much more “generic” 
      * it’ll be a lot more asking you what you would like him to do in order to make you feel better
        * it’s gentle though, not demanding where it’ll make you feel like you’re working on comforting yourself more than he is
        * just small questions on how to comfort you
    * if you end up dating him when he’s older ((or have dated him for a decent amount of time)) he’ll be much more at ease when it comes to comforting you bc by now he’s had more life experience ((either with or w/o you)) to know how to handle the situation
      * he’ll know more confidently what  _to_ say vs what not to say
      * he won’t feel like he needs to tiptoe/walk on eggshells when discussing the topic
      * if you’ve been dating for several years he’ll know you well enough to understand what specifically makes you self conscious and he’ll do his darndest to banish those particular fears/worries




End file.
